FORMULA 1

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BROWN: WE’LL SEE WHAT FERNANDO WANTS TO DO

Amid reports that Fernando Alonso is considering retiring from Formula 1 at the end of this season, McLaren team chief Zak Brown is adamant that his team will wait on the Spaniard’s decision before committing to a driver line-up for 2019 and beyond.

Alonso began his World Endurance Championship (WEC) Career in fine style by winning on his debut at the 6-Hours of Spa. His quest for the Triple Crown of Motorsport has become his priority.

In Barcelona, Brown said, “We will look at the driver line-up in the middle of the year. We’ll see what Fernando wants to do.”

“I think Formula 1 is his passion, but he has been doing it a long time so we have got to see what he wants to do, but hopefully he will be with McLaren for a long time.”

“He loves the McLaren environment, I don’t think he has ever been happier driving for a racing team. I think his heart is definitely still in Formula 1 but he wants to win.”

“He’s going to wait and see how these developments come along – we have more developments coming – so in the middle of the year we will sit down and make a decision.”

“But I expect to see Fernando racing something and I hope it has a McLaren badge on it,” added Brown.

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Sebastian Vettel says drivers are abusing F1 VSC system loophole

Sebastian Vettel has criticised Formula 1's virtual safety car system, claiming it is open to abuse from drivers.

Vettel finished fourth in the Spanish Grand Prix, having lost places to Valterri Bottas and Max Verstappen after making a pitstop under the VSC.

Vettel admitted making a mistake in stopping his car in his pit on cold tyres that contributed to that loss of position, but he still criticised the VSC system because he feels it contains a weakness in the software that allows drivers to go faster than they should be able to.

"It's the same for everyone but the FIA is supplying us with a system that makes us follow a delta time, and everybody has to slow down by, I think, 40%, but I think everybody's aware you can have a faster way to go under VSC than just follow the delta - by saving distance," Vettel said.

"So, I think we should have a system that hasn't got this loophole, because it forces us to drive ridiculous lines around the track and everybody's doing it so I don't think it's a secret.

"Our sport should be in a better shape than supplying software that's just poor and allows us to find some extra performance that way."

This is the second time Vettel has criticised the FIA's safety car procedure, having described the timing of a real safety car period in April's Chinese GP as "not right".

FIA race director Charlie Whiting said he was not aware of any specific problem with the VSC system and denied it is possible to manipulate the system by driving a certain way.

"I don't know what he's talking about, honestly," Whiting said.

"The VSC has a map in the ECU which is 30% slower than a quick lap. Drivers have to follow that lap.

"It's measured every 50m of travel along the track. It measures where it is relevant to the reference lap and gives you a plus or minus.

"Every 50m they are reminded if they are above or below.

"They are allowed to go negative [quicker than the reference time] but as long as they are positive once in each marshalling sector and at the safety car 1 line [it's OK].

"Even if someone does go slow, as long as they get to zero by that point it doesn't matter.

"If it's measured every 50m then any advantage you can get for taking a different line on the track is going to be absolutely minimal.

"I can sort of see what he's saying, but the racing line is the optimal one.

"If they have some evidence of this we'll obviously have to have a look and see if it can be manipulated.

"From what we can see over a lap and a half, as long as they are at zero at the VSC ending point I don't think any advantage can be gained.

"Where the advantage can be gained is coming into the pits and going out of it. But everybody knows that, it's not new."

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Wurz explains 'crisis' with 2018 Williams Formula 1 car

Williams's current "crisis" is caused by an aerodynamic stall that is giving its drivers "no confidence" in the car, says team consultant and ex-Formula 1 driver Alex Wurz.

Lance Stroll and Sergey Sirotkin were the two slowest drivers in qualifying for Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix, which continues a miserable start to the season for Williams. 

Stroll scored the team's first points of the year in the last race in Azerbaijan, aided by the unique demands of that circuit and severe attrition in that race, but the car's fundamental problem remains.

"We lose downforce at the diffuser, at the floor," Wurz said on ORF, Austria's national broadcaster, during its Spanish GP qualifying coverage.

"We had this problem a little bit last year, but it was only annoying. Now it's basically a stall.

"We lose so much grip, and then the driver has no confidence in the car at all. That's our problem.

"Identifying the problem is only 10%. To correct and implement this is in fact the difficult task."

Wurz said one positive was that the exaggerated problems made it clear there was a fundamental issue and would avoid different departments pointing fingers at each other. 

He thinks the cause "must be a mistake somewhere in the software and in the simulation" and said poor correlation had been a problem for Williams for some time.

"This has been missing here since 2015, but only in small segments and small steps," he said.

"It is very good for the team that we are so extremely aware of this, that the lap times are falling so catastrophically that everyone is pulling in the same direction.

"This crisis is an opportunity for us all to get to the same denominator and to have a culture in the team for us all to be open with each other so that we can move forward. 

"This is a chance for the team to build a healthy foundation."

Wurz said Williams did not need to "write off" its season, but fears a significant fix is still several races away.

"A lot is happening to create new forms of aerodynamics," he said. "We decided to do this in Melbourne, but we will probably bring this to the car just before the summer break."

Sirotkin, who outqualified Stroll at Barcelona but will start behind him because of a grid penalty, is adamant he will not use the race as a test.

"It is still a race and we don't want to take it as kind of easy one to the flag, it is still a fight," he said.

"Now it is more like a fight with yourself, rather than with other cars.

"I will try to be as racy as I can."

[Squarehead]

What I don't understand is with such a high tech sport that they use pushbrooms to clear the debris after a crash instead of a blower.Using a blower would speed up the cleaning process

[Bartolomeo]

10 hours ago, Squarehead said:

What I don't understand is with such a high tech sport that they use pushbrooms to clear the debris after a crash instead of a blower.Using a blower would speed up the cleaning process

Been saying this for years...although I did see one blower this weekend

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BOULLIER: I KNOW MY JOB

Whispers doing the rounds in the Barcelona paddock suggest that Eric Boullier’s could be the next head to roll, as McLaren’s reality is they will not be battling for podium positions this season but instead will be fighting for scraps.

The Woking outfit have improved results compared to last season, which can be attributed to their switch to Renault engines this year but battling for minor points was not why they ditched Honda for the French manufacturer.

McLaren management’s  of matching Red Bull this year has proven to be way off the mark, as they are about half a second and a full second per lap down on the Blues, and probably a spot below Renault in the pecking order.

With technical chief Tim Goss  last month, some are now predicting a demotion or ousting of Boullier from his position as racing director as the team reshuffles under more direct control of Zak Brown.

After the race in Spain, Boullier was asked by reporters if he could lead McLaren out of the rut and back to the sharp end of the grid, to which he replied, “Yes, I believe it.”

“In the past I have managed, revitalised and restructured several teams and I have also won with all of them in all categories. I know my job and we have to make sure that we can do it.”

As for the current team he heads, Boullier said, “I believe in the people we have, I believe in the managers, you always want strong leadership, good combination, be as flexible as possible, they look like generic words, but we do have to address our issues if we think we have left some.”

“We know what we have to do, we have to improve in reliability and performance, now there are other teams with the same engine, so we have references, it’s a long road.”

“This has been another step, a good job has been done to recover the reliability from the tests,” added Boullier who has only once celebrated a podium with McLaren at the 2014 Australian Grand Prix where Kevin Magnussen finished third.

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WOLFF: I WOULD BE CAREFUL WITH PREDICTIONS

Winning the Spanish Grand Prix may have been a turning point for Lewis Hamilton and his Mercedes team, but the champions are not counting on it as the next race in Monaco could bring them straight back down to earth, a situation that team boss Toto Wolff admits leaves him “bloody worried”.

“I would be careful with predictions,” the Austrian told reporters on Sunday night as championship leader Hamilton celebrated his second win in a row and third in Spain.

“We have seen performance that swings from racetrack-to-racetrack, and even from day-to-day, and this is how we take it at the moment.”

Ferrari, with Sebastian Vettel leading the way, enjoyed a one-two in Monaco last year and, while the Italians may not be feeling quite so confident after the last three races, should go well there again.

“Why our car doesn´t like to be quick around the corners in Monaco, we haven´t found out yet. We know what went wrong last year,” said Wolff, who pointed out that Barcelona had always been a strong track for Mercedes in races and testing.

“As much as I am overwhelmed by the victory (in Spain), my mind is already in Monaco and I remember Sunday night wasn´t as pleasant last year.”

Hamilton qualified only 14th and finished seventh in the principality last year.

Now 17 points clear of Vettel after five races, he has some margin of comfort and pointed out that even in races where he has not had a great afternoon this season he has still managed to bank solid points.

His situation is also a lot more comfortable than Vettel’s, with the German — also a four-times world champion — now off the podium for three races in a row.

“I think this has been a good race in terms of feeling again what I felt in the first race. It shows that it wasn´t just a one-off,” said Hamilton, who was on pole at the opener in Australia in March but then lost some confidence in the car.

“These different things that are coming up are going to be challenging and I don´t think it´s going to be as clear as it was [on Sunday],” added the reigning F1 World Champion.

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BARCELONA HIGHLIGHTS AND MUSINGS

Now that was a boring race! The Spanish Grand Prix began with a bang as three cars were eliminated in a first lap incident and despite a couple of safety car periods there was very little rubbin’ is racin’ type stuff we have been accustomed to of late as things settled into something of a procession.

In a nutshell, Mercedes brought out their ‘party mode’ once again and Lewis Hamilton was simply on another planet, with teammate Valtteri Bottas sniffing his fumes while the rest – and I mean Ferrari as well as Red Bull – must be pondering what just hit them

Here are some observations in the wake of the Spanish Grand Prix weekend.

Mercedes (Lewis Hamilton winner, Valtteri Bottas 2nd)

Hamilton’s second win in a row and second of the season. His 64th career victory and third in Spain. He now holds the record for wins from pole (41). He also has a record 30 successive races in the points. This was also Mercedes’ first one-two of the campaign and sent them back on top.

It was a return to form for Mercedes that will have their rivals scratching their heads in bewilderment and asking: Where did that come from?

Rewinding to the season-opening qualifying, where Hamilton claimed pole position by seven-tenths of a second and we all got a confirmed taste of the fabled ‘party mode’ in action.

But ‘party mode’ disappeared in the next three races and has obviously returned with much fanfare for the first leg of the European season, which also happened to be attended by the Daimler and Mercedes board members as well as big boss Dieter Zetsche. Coincidence?

Ferrari (Sebastian Vettel 4th, Kimi Raikkonen DNF)

Vettel, second after the first corner, finished off the podium for the third race in a row and is now 17 points behind Hamilton. He made two stops, while others made just one, and it cost him. Raikkonen retired after cruising back to the pits with reduced power.

Despite post-race denials, the consensus in the paddock is that the Reds got their sums wrong and botched up by calling Vettel in for a second stop while their rivals stayed out. A podium looked a possibility for the German but instead, he had to settle for fourth and watch Hamilton extend his championship lead to 17 points.

Raikkonen’s engine failure was a mystery to him, all he could say was that he suddenly lost power and aborted his pitstop, before limping back to the pits whereupon they retired the car. Not a good weekend for Maranello.

Red Bull (Max Verstappen 3rd, Daniel Ricciardo 5th)

The post-Baku collision truce is in place but is it really as solid as the team and drivers are making it out to be. Time will tell.

Verstappen’s first podium of the season and the 150th for Red Bull in Formula 1. The Dutchman hailed his own “clean race” perhaps forgetting how he clattered into the back of Lance Stroll’s Williams and broke the endplates on the Red Bull’s front wing.

Ricciardo set the fastest lap of the race, a record 1:18.441, on lap 61 but never looked seriously on it all weekend, not helped by the fact that Red Bull of firmly third in the pecking order.

Renault (Carlos Sainz 7, Nico Hulkenberg DNF)

Renault moved above McLaren and into fourth place for the first time, albeit by a single point. Sainz scored in his home race for the fourth year in a row. Hulkenberg retired for the second successive race, taken out by Grosjean at the start.

Hulkenberg is struggling with a patch of bad luck – wrong place, wrong time syndrome – but in truth Renault did not really take much of a step forward or backward with their new raft of upgrades.

McLaren (Fernando Alonso 8th, Stoffel Vandoorne DNF)

McLaren drop down but Alonso, who started eighth, again delivered in his home race. The Spaniard has scored in every race so far. Vandoorne pulled over with a suspected gearbox problem, the team’s first retirement of the season.

Much was expected from the McLaren ‘MCL33-B’ which broke cover featuring a heavily revised front nose as well as several other upgrades. Alonso hailed the improvement, but it was again more his tenacity that brought home the result than a good car at his disposal.

They are still very far off the pace of fellow Renault-powered Red Bull who they targeted to match, if not beat, at the start of this season.

Haas (Kevin Magnussen 6th, Romain Grosjean DNF)

Magnussen, who started seventh, has scored all of his team’s points so far, moving them above Force India. He had a lonely race but unlike his teammate never put a foot wrong and delivered.

Grosjean spun at the start and took out Hulkenberg and Gasly. He has a three-place grid penalty for Monaco, but many questions are now being asked of the Frenchman who has hit a bizarre spate of bad form. Is he becoming a liability for Haas?

Force India (Sergio Perez 9th, Esteban Ocon DNF)

Ocon retired with an oil pressure problem and is fast getting a reality check of sorts as his teammate continues to rack up the points.

Perez started 15th and lost positions at the start avoiding Grosjean. He made the right strategy call by pitting when the virtual safety car was deployed but ran over front wing debris from Verstappen’s car that caused some damage.

Toro Rosso (Brendon Hartley 12th, Pierre Gasly DNF)

Hartley started at the back of the grid after a big crash in final practice on Saturday meant he missed qualifying. He then kept out of trouble but did not have the firepower to score points on the day.

The New Zealander is facing speculation about his future, as he appears to be struggling to make the transition from WEC to F1, and Red Bull’s famously fickle patience is fast running out.

Gasly was taken out on lap one, through no fault of his own, by an out of control Grosjean.

Sauber (Charles Leclerc 10th, Marcus Ericsson 13th)

Leclerc scored points for the second race in a row, setting him up nicely for the next in his hometown of Monaco. Ericsson defended well against Sainz early on.

The rookie outshining his more experienced teammate yet again.

Williams (Lance Stroll 11th, Sergey Sirotkin 14th)

The former champions are rock bottom and with little in the way of positive news as they wrestle with aerodynamic problems and a chassis that their drivers have no confidence in. Rivals retiring ahead flattered their result.

All weekend long they were anchored to the bottom of the timing screens and there appears no end in sight to a crisis brought about by the fact that the FW41 is probably the worst car on the grid and perhaps the worst car they have ever built at Woking.

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EMIRATES EXPANDS AND EXTENDS FORMULA 1 DEAL

Formula 1  has expanded and extended its partnership with Emirates arlines, the renewed agreement began at the start of the 2018 world championship season and will extend until the end of 2022.

As part of the new deal, the Dubai-based airline will enjoy an expanded branding and consumer activation presence at over 15 races on the Formula One calendar across Europe, Asia, Australia, North America and South America.

The five-year extension includes extensive trackside branding at the races, hospitality for guests at the Paddock Club, interactive fan engagement activities at Formula One fan zones and fan festivals at selected races, as well as Supercar Hot Laps at eight races and branding across digital media assets.

Emirates, which has been a global partner of the leading motorsport series since 2013, will also offer its Skywards members the opportunity to use their miles to bid for exclusive VIP experiences at various races.

In addition, the airline served as the title sponsor of the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona on the weekend, and will occupy the same role at the German Grand Prix in Hockenheim from 20th to 22nd July.

“There’s an excellent fit between Emirates and Formula One, from the global extent of our destination network and the cities in which races take place, to the focus on innovation and technology that underpins the sport and our approach to the development of products and services for our customers,” said Thierry Antinori, executive vice-president and chief commercial officer at Emirates.

Formula One next heads to the streets of Monte Carlo for the Monaco Grand Prix on 10th June.

Emirates last week reported a 124 per cent surge in net profit to Dh2.8 billion (US$762 million) for the 2017 fiscal year.

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Sergey Sirotkin was just 'surviving' amid 'dangerous' seat situation

Williams rookie Sergey Sirotkin says he was just “surviving” a situation that he labelled “dangerous” at the Spanish Grand Prix, amid complaints over his seat.

Williams endured another difficult weekend at the Circuit de Barcelona-Cataunya and a thrice-lapped Sirotkin came home as the final classified finisher in 14th position.

Sirotkin, who spun at Turn 9 shortly after the Virtual Safety Car restart, was left perplexed post-race, and alluded to an issue with his seat, though was wary over divulging details.

“To be honest, there’s not even much you can say, it was the toughest race I ever did by far,” he said.

“We were doing not the best race for sure but we were just there.

“Then obviously with all this uncomfortable… I would probably call it much more, very painful, feeling I was getting, it was definitely not helping the race in this stint and the focus.

“Then I made a mistake on the restart, spun the car and decided where we’ve been anyway it’s not that we could do much so we decided why don’t we pit for the extra set of tyres in case whatever can happen.

“Since then I could hardly not do much because of quite a few issues on top of what I had with the seat position and some other things, so it was just really driving to the end I would say, surviving is a better word.”

Sirotkin revealed that he had spent 40 minutes in Williams’ garage post-race trying to solve the issues and when pushed further on the matter by Motorsport Week he commented: “this is the tricky point because if I say something wrong he’s [my engineer] not going to be happy.

“But there are some bits, not really the seat position but some bits which kind of help you to be or not to move around in the car which we are struggling a lot all the year.

“[In the race] we reached the worst point of that, for sure the way it was it’s dangerous and not raceable at all, so yeah, but now at the end we need to solve it already.”

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Podium can kick-start Verstappen's 2018 F1 season - Christian Horner

Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner says a podium finish at the Spanish Grand Prix can act as the kick-start to Max Verstappen’s season, after a difficult opening stint to 2018.

Verstappen scored only 18 points across the opening quartet of rounds amid a spate of incidents and setbacks, having clashed with Lewis Hamilton in Bahrain and Sebastian Vettel in China, before going on to collide with team-mate Daniel Ricciardo in Azerbaijan.

Verstappen, though, returned to the podium for the first time since his victory at last year’s Mexican Grand Prix by rising from fifth to third at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

“I think it’s been a good weekend for Max,” said Horner.

“It’s good to get his first podium on the board for him as a confidence booster, it kick-starts his season. 

“I think for any sportsmen when you have a bit of a rough patch it’s always good to get a result in and get it underway.”

Verstappen sustained front wing damage when he clipped Lance Stroll’s Williams at the post-Virtual Safety Car restart and Horner expressed encouragement at the pace his driver was able to display despite the setback.

“There was initial concern that we’d have to change the nose,” he said.

“But within two sectors we had the information that it was looking okay from both the car and the data.

“Despite the damage that Max had on the front wing, which was worth a few tenths of a second, he was able to manage the gap to Sebastian [Vettel] who had five or six lap newer tyres, to the end of the race without any major issue.

“And again we saw the potential of the car with Daniel [Ricciardo] as soon as he had clear air recording the fastest laps of the race.”

Verstappen’s podium lifted him from eighth to sixth in the Drivers’ Championship.

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Vandoorne keen to stay on at McLaren for 2019

Stoffel Vandoorne says he wants to remain a McLaren driver next season, adamant there’s not “much of a margin” between himself and Fernando Alonso.

Alonso has not only out-qualified Vandoorne five from five this season, he is also ahead in the standings with 32 points to eight.

Vandoorne, though, insists the gap between the McLaren team-mates is not as big as it may seem at times.

He told El Pais: “I do not believe that there is much of a margin between Fernando and I.

“The difference between Alonso and me is extremely small and when you’re fighting with some of the best drivers in the world, even having a good day does not guarantee that you finish ahead of them.

“Fernando is one of the most complete drivers on the grid when it comes to squeezing everything out of any car he drives.

“We are not as far apart as it may sometimes appear.”

And while this year’s championship has not quite yielded the results that Vandoorne or McLaren wanted, he is hoping to remain with the Woking team next season.

He stated that he is not looking at “any other option than McLaren.

“I have a very good relationship with the company, I occupy a very important position and I think the team has very high potential for the future.

“Despite not having met expectations, there is a group of people who are very capable of designing a fast car.”

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360 Video: Romain Grosjean Barcelona Shunt and spin

 

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"Very frustrating" race masked Honda gains in Spain

Honda believes a "very frustrating" Spanish Grand Prix masked the progress it made with Toro Rosso after two troubled race weekends.
Toro Rosso's form dipped significantly in China and Azerbaijan after Pierre Gasly scored the best result of Honda's return to F1 with fourth in Bahrain.

Gasly made it into Q2 for the first time since Bahrain but was wiped out on the opening lap, while teammate Brendon Hartley recovered to 12th from a back-of-the-grid start after a complete car rebuild.

Honda's technical Toyoharu Tanabe told Motorsport.com the team had been helped by an analysis into its energy management after weaker races at two tracks with very long straights.

Tanabe said: "We learned from the start to the end, and also applied our analysis from the previous race. I think, technically, we had a reasonably competent weekend. The actual race result was very frustrating.

"It is difficult to measure [the improvement from the last race] because of the different track, if we go back to Baku and try it different we can tell you exactly in laptime and speed!

"We learned better energy management from Baku and applied several calibrations to maintain the race situation, so it looks OK."

Tanabe acknowledged Honda could only prove its progress "a time or position, which is important for us" but the weekend boosted confidence that the team is back on the right path.

Toro Rosso's Friday form was not strong in Spain and both drivers complained about the balance of the car, before changes applied from FP2 to FP3 on Saturday morning boosted its competitiveness considerably.

"Initially we applied something from the previous investigation," Tanabe explained. "Friday was not good, so we applied something different from what we learned, and we improved.

"It means we could understand directionally we are OK."

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F1 Paddock Pass: Post-Race at the 2018 Spanish Grand Prix

 

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VETTEL: PIRELLI MADE CORRECT CALL TO CHANGE TYRES FOR SPAIN

Perhaps  by his former boss Helmut Marko during the  weekend, Sebastian Vettel was convinced that changes made to Pirelli tyres ahead of the race handed an advantage to Mercedes while subtly questioning why the changes were even necessary.

Pirelli made the changes to their Barcelona tyres to contain excessive blistering, thus the rubber depth was reduced to prevent this from becoming a safety hazard.

During the , of two days, of testing at Circuit de Catalunya, Pirelli and Ferrari were able to run back-to-back tests with the original tyre spec and compare to the one used on the grand prix weekend.

The results vindicated the decision and forced Vettel to acknowledge that his suggestions Mercedes receiving favourable treatment were well off the mark.

Vettel conceded at the end of his day of testing, “I think it’s pretty straightforward – obviously you don’t get the chance to revisit these kinds of decisions that are made but we did it today and the result is that if we had had the normal tires on Sunday, it would have probably been worse, so it was the correct call.”

“It was our fault for not having the same tire wear or life as other people. It’s good to have the test to be able to compare and I think we have some ideas. Now it’s up to us to turn those ideas into reality. As I said it was good in terms of timing, coming from a poor weekend for us.”

“We were not quick enough and more than not being quick enough we were struggling to make the tires last – these things have a link – so it was good to have a possibility to revisit it and now it’s up to us to take action.”

Vettel seems to believe that the slump Ferrari had in Barcelona was circuit specific, “I think we had our struggles, which explains our performance. Obviously it looked like from the outside they had a stronger weekend, without any big issues, but we need to look at ourselves, focus on our car and our problems, so we’ll be stronger again.”

The four times F1 World Champion trails Hamilton in the championship standings by 17 points after five rounds.

On Wednesday Ferrari junior driver Antonio Giovinazzi takes over the Ferrari cockpit for the day.

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TODT: WHY WAIT UNTIL 2021 TO CHANGE THE RULES?

It was probably the off-track moment of the weekend when Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton had a good go at the state of Formula 1 during the  press conference during the Spanish Grand Prix weekend.

This year drivers have struggled because overtaking is extremely difficult, following a car close enough to try making a passing move is almost impossible. The race in Barcelona was largely a procession.

So much so the FIA president Jean Todt has questioned why Formula 1 needs to wait until 2021 for new rules to kick in if it means improving the conditions for racing sooner than then.

Speaking in the wake of criticism by several drivers of the current cars, Todt told Racer, “We hear all the time from the drivers that the cars can’t get close to each other. I read the press conference transcripts – Hamilton, Vettel, Raikkonen, they all complained. And they’re in the front. Can you imagine what it’s like at the back?”

“I feel that if we understand that something is wrong we should try to find a solution. We all say we want to have a better sport, a better show, so let’s do something. So on one side people say: Let’s wait for 2021. But it’s the start of the 2018 season, so we would go through 2018, 2019 and 2020 knowing that there’s a problem which is damaging the sport.”

“In this case, we asked some relevant engineers to address the problem. They explained that as the car is getting closer, because of the aero at the front, unless it is over 1.5 seconds [per lap faster] you cannot have any overtaking. So you speak with the engineers and you say: Do you think we can do something to improve the situation? And they said they could improve the situation.”

“We are trying to make the sport better. We try, using the proper governance – which as you know is not the easiest thing in Formula 1 – to make a proposal. So that’s why we made this proposal and by a miracle it was accepted.”

The age-old problem in Formula 1 is finding consensus between the teams, self-interest is more often than not placed ahead of the best interests of the sport.

But Todt is looking beyond the interests of the teams, “We say we want the fans to be happy, and the fans, they want more overtaking. We need to promote the sport rather than putting people against one another.”

Todt also took exception to the fact that Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton bemoaned the situation whereby drivers are seldom consulted with regards to rule changes.

The FIA chief added, “I read the transcript of that [the Saturday press conference]: I’ve always, all the time, tried to hear what the drivers were saying. And the drivers were invited to participate. I invited [them] to do something. If we speak about the Halo, I did not invent the Halo – I was urged by the drivers to do something because they felt unsafe. So I said: Yes, we need to hear that.”

“If the driver who is driving the car at high speed says they are not comfortable, and we have some evidence, so we decided to find the best way and that was the Halo. And then I hear: that’s shit.”

“I think whatever is the position, you must try to be responsible – to hear, to judge, and then to propose,” concluded Todt.

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VETTEL: WE HAVE THREE PROBLEMS WE NEED TO ADDRESS

Sebastian Vettel’s 2018 Formula world championship campaign took a serious setback at the Spanish Grand Prix, not only did his main title rival Lewis Hamilton win the race and extend his championship lead it also coincided with a downturn in performance during qualifying and on race day for Ferrari.

Vettel pointed out why the Reds had a wobble this past weekend in Barcelona, “I think the three things this weekend. Firstly, we were not quick enough. If we’re not able to see that, we’re more than blind, because we didn’t have the pace in the first stint.”

“Second, I think we struggled a bit over the course of the weekend with the tyres. They changed but they changed for everyone. Our ambition needs to be that we’re better off rather than worse off. That’s the second thing we need to focus on.”

“Third, I think it was a poor weekend in terms of reliability. Kimi had an issue with the engine, had to change the engine and obviously retired in the race. I don’t know what happened. Overall, there are three things we must be able to see. If we don’t see those, there are no excuses.”

Vettel delivered what might be seen as a taunt to his own team, or alternatively, a war cry to ramp up the offensive, “I’ve said many times this team is strong and we have a lot of potential, but we need to make sure we address the problems that we have and work together in the same direction. The season so far has been positive for us. [Sunday] was not a good day but it’s important to understand why. You look back and you understand what is missing in the preparation to the race, or this race, or the next races.”

Ferrari pitted Vettel twice during a race in which most of the top ten only stopped once, thus his stop under Virtual Safety Car (VSC) conditions cost him track position when he rejoined and an almost sure podium, instead he had to settle for fourth.

The four times F1 World Champion explained, “I think the last couple of races we were a bit closer in terms of pace, we had a car fighting for the win, having winning pace. We didn’t have winning pace [in Spain], that’s why we didn’t win.”

“There are a couple of things, as I said. Short term, we all had our updates for this race; maybe the others have brought more than us. On top of that, we had different tires, which maybe suited others more than us.”

“But what does it help? Why find excuses? Bottom line is we’re not quick enough to win. That’s what we have to address. Not did we have a disadvantage here, was that the case, was this the case, did the safety car help or not?”

“In the end, we weren’t quick enough and our tyres didn’t last as long as others. Otherwise, I stay out, stay in front of Valtteri [Bottas] and finish second. It wasn’t an option and we finished fourth. We even got lucky with the VSC, otherwise we would have been miles behind Max,” added Vettel who lies second in the championship standings, 17 points adrifet of leader Hamilton.

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WOLFF: IT’S NOT THE FIRST TIME THE DOCTOR SEES GHOSTS

Mercedes chief Toto Wolff has scoffed at suggestions made by Red Bull consultant Helmut Marko who claimed that Pirelli modified their Barcelona tyre to suit Mercedes, which helped Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas score a one-two at the .

Pirelli made changes to the thickness of the tyres available to teams in Barcelona, the tweak appears to have benefitted the Mercedes W09, something Marko was quick to point out.

But Wolff was having none of it and told reporters after the race, “It’s not the first time the doctor sees ghosts.”

“There were problems with blistering on the tyres in the winter tests, even at Red Bull. The rears looked like a volcanic landscape. So Pirelli improved them. It’s bad for business if tyres explode.”

In a clear swipe at the energy drinks team, Wolff added, “I think it looks weak if you have a bad weekend and complain. First and foremost, we look at ourselves for our problems.

But Marko argued that Mercedes put pressure on Pirelli, “When you’re a team and a manufacturer at the same time, you can do that. We produce energy drinks, of course we cannot influence as much compared to a maker of passenger cars.”

Sebastian Vettel, who finished fourth in the race, believes Ferrari lost out because of the changes, “You don’t have to be a genius to understand that the tyres get harder when you scratch off four millimetres.  That’s how other teams got on better than we did.”

Pirelli motorsport chief Mario Isola explained why they changed the original tyres destined for Barcelona, “If you have a high level of blistering affecting all or most of the cars, you have a lottery not a race.”

“It’s not the right approach and we, as a sole supplier, have to provide the same product to everyone that is a safe product, suitable for the circuit and so on.”

“I don’t think that the slight modification in the tread thickness changed the balance of the performance of different cars. The compound is exactly the same and the construction is exactly the same, the difference is the thickness.”

“It is difficult to explain from the technical side because if the supersoft was excluded during the race because the general feeling was that it was too soft, the problem is a bit on the other side,” added Isola.

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Mercedes trials new rain light system at F1 test

Mercedes has trialled a modified wet-weather lighting structure during Formula 1 testing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

Formula 1 has stayed on for two days of post-race running at the Spanish venue, with all 10 teams in attendance, along with additional Force India and McLaren cars present as part of Pirelli’s tyre testing.

Reigning World Champion Lewis Hamilton has been entrusted with driving duties for Mercedes today (Tuesday) and appeared on track with a tweaked lighting system on the W09.

All Formula 1 cars are mandated to carry a rear-facing rain-light, currently placed in the centre of the car, above the diffuser, which must be used in wet conditions, in order to help a driver behind see a rival amid plumes of spray.

As part of a test for Formula 1, Mercedes has been running with additional flashing strips on each rear wing endplate, at the same height as the main rear wing.

It means Hamilton has been circulating with three red lights, with the two currently being trialled flashing at different intervals to the existing structure.

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Why Miami is a big deal for Formula 1

I guess this is what you’d call meat on the bone.

With justification a few were murmuring that Liberty Media’s post Bernie Ecclestone F1 new dawn a year and a bit in wasn’t all that. That Liberty seemed better at delivering pronouncements – and of the non-specific sort – than achievements. But now in with a shot an F1 street race in downtown Miami, and as soon as for next year’s calendar, could be a goer.

And what a first achievement it would be. As Adam Cooper has pointed out all Liberty’s race deals so far have either been extensions or confirmation of things that were on the way anyway. This would be the first from scratch. For this reason combined with a few others, this is a big deal for Liberty and F1.

First that it’s Miami. A city that came in naturally – along with New York and Las Vegas – at the very top of its race host wish list. That is a quintessential ‘destination city’ that it wants to build the calendar around.

And one that provides rather more attraction than the usual autodrome. “The thing for F1 is it needs showpiece events; it needs standout things,” said Kevin Eason in response to the news. “One of the great things about Baku is the scenery, you feel as though you’re somewhere exciting and different. Whereas a lot of the venues we got with Bernie like China, it’s a very grand set-up there but so what you could be anywhere.

“Whereas this says you’re in America, in Miami, it’s very exciting, there’s a beach, there’ll be sunshine…”

No wonder talk is of this one departing from the usual (sizeable) hosting fee arrangement, perhaps with a risk or revenue sharing joint venture between F1 and the promoter.

Then there’s the country it is in. Yes we already have an America round, in Austin. But there should be no doubt of America’s ability to stage at least two races. For the purposes of the F1 calendar America should be thought of as a continent rather than as a country and there will be 1,300 miles between the two venues. That’s further than between Silverstone and the Hungaroring.

And there should be no doubt about the desirability of it either. A vast and wealthy country with possibly unparalleled attachment to sport and to the automobile. Really an F1 world championship a can hardly call itself such without major presence in the United States.

There’s plenty of F1 self-interest too. The potential market available there is not to be underestimated, and neither is the fanbase for F1 in America. Let’s not forget that some 175,000 turned up to the inaugural Indianapolis race in 2000. And this potential is good news for sponsors and manufacturers’ investment.

It’s worth a historical re-tread as well to give us some indication of the prize that awaits F1 getting it right on this. F1 did used to get it right in America, with Watkins Glen and Long Beach. They only appeared together on the calendar five times (1976 to 1980) – but that they’re still harked back to says something about the impact. And the paradise lost.

One was east, one west. One a street track, one a road course. One at the start of the season, one at the end. Both vibrant and popular, with big crowds. The parallels aren’t perfect with this Miami event alongside the existing Austin round – if nothing else describing Austin as west is a bit of a stretch plus the aim is for this Miami round to be in October which opens the possibility of it being a double-header with Austin rather than split. But the parallels still are enticing.

Of course there remain plenty of hurdles to clear. The recent City Commission vote was a formality and now what Cooper described as “the hugely complex paperwork trail” will have to be constructed for the ‘Host City Contract’, which will need to be approved by a majority of four (the deadline set for this is July 1). So the hard bit starts now. We’re not so much at the beginning of the end as the end of the beginning, to borrow from Winston Churchill.

And more broadly plenty of bold plans for F1 rounds have evaporated before reaching reality, not least with proposed rounds in America. After all we were supposed to have a New Jersey race with the Manhattan skyline as its backdrop back in 2013, it even cleared enough hurdles to get onto a provisional calendar. But then the money didn’t materialise and the whole shebang fizzled out.

Further back in the early ‘80s for three years in a row we had a New York round on the itinerary that we still await. Even the Stateside races that happened often had a blink and you miss it quality. Reflecting as much Austin is America’s F1 host number 10 in history.

But the opposite also is common and less readily cited. That those doom-mongers vocal in advance frequently are proved wrong. It seems ridiculous now but there were plenty of discouraging noises prior to our first Austin visit. Talk of delays, financial problems, cancellations, low local interest and awareness combined with that the first race clashed with NASCAR’s season finale, local resistance including to that the hosting fee was paid with public money at a time of cuts, poor access roads, lawsuits, environmental protests, politicking and splits including that the project’s brainchild Tavo Hellmund was unceremoniously side-lined.

“A trip to Texas first looked like it would be yet another own goal on F1’s list of repeated attempts to break America. And it could still turn out that way,” declared journalist Kate Walker a matter of weeks prior to the first Austin race.

One might ask what’s in it all for Miami, with justification. After all Bernie tried for years to get an F1 race in this city and met with typical stumbling blocks – where the money is coming from and whether all are prepared to put up with the inevitable heavy disruption. And unlike other venues that roll the red carpet and throw money at F1 Miami hardly needs a Grand Prix to boost its international profile. On that point there is no commitment yet on whether local public money will be made available to help this race.

On the disruption point, at least a couple of local groups appear to be objecting already. Yet going by the Sun Sentinel – a South Florida news outlet – asking its readers for feedback on the plans in recent days there doesn’t appear any lack of local enthusiasm in Miami for this event even so.

“We expected to hear worries about traffic – dire predictions of Carmageddon befalling a city whose traffic already crawls on the best days,” it reported. “What we found instead is that many South Floridians are so, so ready for Formula One to come here. Really ready. Threatening-the-local-economy ready.”

It’s not a scientific study of course; views may change too once the said disruption becomes an actuality. But it’s a very encouraging finger in the air measure. The mayor and Chamber of Commerce are onside too.

Miami is well used to hosting large sporting events, with a range of high profile franchises and MLS with David Beckham in tow about to join them. It’s well used also to hosting motorsport including in some cases on downtown street tracks, for the likes of IndyCar and predecessors, IMSA and more recently Formula E.

While F1 would have something over most of the rest in its international profile. And Miami prides itself on being an international city. It’s clear this is a major factor.

“F1 is a worldwide sport with approximately 1.8billion TV viewers annually,” said Miami mayor Francis Suarez during the recent hearing.

“I believe it will help in the transition of the city of Miami from a gateway city to a global city.”

F1 also has done a good job in pitching the benefits, outlining those in tourism, promotion, employment, volunteering opportunities, and of course money. “It has a potential economic boost of over $2.8billion,” Suarez continued, “[which was recorded] between the years of 2012 and 2015 in downtown Austin, which is the only other city in the United States that has an F1 race.”

A proposed circuit layout also was published and it takes in a section of Biscayne Boulevard and has elements of the Miami tracks used by IMSA, CART and Formula E. The proposed F1 layout runs across the water and back via Port Boulevard bridge, featuring two extended full throttle zones ended by hairpins which presumably are intended to create plenty of overtaking action a la Baku.

But again typically it elicited a round of complainants on the grounds that the layout was uninspiring. Including among their number Lewis Hamilton.

It would be optimistic to expect a downtown street track to have Eau Rouge on it though. Presumably these people too would have recoiled similarly upon seeing a Long Beach layout in 1976, which for all we associate with sweeping Shoreline Drive was actually for the most part a tight affair. Indeed the Miami track’s curving straight ending with a hairpin is Shoreline Drive-esque.

Certainly having F1 cars going across the bridge in either direction will be visually stunning. And Romain Grosjean for one reminded us in Barcelona that it’s not always the most flowing tracks that provide the best races.

Miami may yet prove to be the latest – and grandest – Liberty mirage. But surely anyone who cares for F1 will hope that this one becomes reality.

 

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Ross Brawn apologises for failed F1 TV launch

Formula 1's managing director of motorsports Ross Brawn has apologised to fans for the failed launch of F1 TV – the sport’s own over-the-top streaming service which launched at the weekend for the Spanish Grand Prix.

The service, which offers fans the opportunity to watch live sessions, pick from 20 driver onboard cameras and more, costs between £6 and £10 a month ($8-12) depending on the local market, with the ‘Pro’ version only available in select territories.

The launch of the service was delayed from the start of the season in order to conduct ‘beta’ testing during the opening four races, with its public debut set for the Spanish GP.

However users reported on social media that it rarely worked during the weekend, with long buffering screens and a jumpy image the main complaints. On Sunday the service offered up a message saying live coverage of the race would be unavailable.

Brawn admitted the launch didn’t go as planned and apologised.

“Three initiatives made their debut in Barcelona: F1 TV, the Twitter Live Show, and F1 Vision, the most advanced hand-held device on which to follow the race.

“The launch of the former did not go very smoothly, and apologies to our fans, but we are dragging our sport from a place where none of these initiative previously existed and we will get there. 

“In some ways that's what Formula 1 is about, a sport where things are developed on the move and on the track with technology that is always cutting edge.”

Formula 1 has offered to refund all users the equivalent of two weeks’ subscription.

Brawn also spoke of other improvements rolled out this season as Liberty Media looks to build the sport’s audience.

“This year we have done a lot of work on improving the TV show, trying new ideas to emphasise the extreme talent of the drivers and make their skills driving the cars look even more exciting. 

“We have new camera angles, an all-new graphic design that we are constantly evolving and the new halo graphics which has managed to make the halo less intrusive on television to our viewers and fans,” he explained.

“There's a specially-made microphone placed to enhance the sound of the power units, and we are interviewing the drivers immediately after qualifying, following the heat of the battle. We are doing that after the race too, capturing the emotions of the drivers on screens around the world.

“Then there's social media, which I confess is not a big part of my world, but I do appreciate its importance in reaching new audiences, especially among our younger fans.

“We're in the front line with the aim of unleashing the greatest spectacle on the planet and we want to take you with us.”

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Teams load up on Hypersoft tyres for Monaco GP

Formula 1 teams have loaded up on Pirelli’s new-for-2018 pink-banded Hypersoft tyre for next weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix.

Pirelli introduced two new compounds for 2018 to expand its range of dry-weather rubber, adding a Hypersoft tyre and a back-up Superhard tyre to its options.

The Hypersoft, which has been run during testing, will make its Grand Prix weekend debut around the streets of the Principality next weekend, and on Tuesday Pirelli confirmed that Formula 1 teams have overwhelmingly selected that tyre to use.

Of the 13 sets of compounds each driver has available for the weekend’s action, all but six drivers will have 10 or 11 sets (the latter the maximum possible) of the pink-ringed rubber in their collection.

The remaining drivers will have nine sets of the compound.

The Ultrasoft and Supersoft tyre will also be available – one of which must be run during the course of the 78-lap Grand Prix, should dry conditions prevail.

Available sets per driver:

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F1 2018 game to be released on August 24

Codemasters’ F1 2018 video game will be launched on August 24, the company confirmed on Tuesday.

Codemasters has held the rights to produce official Formula 1 games since 2010 and will once again create a new game to reflect the 2018 campaign.

F1 2018 will be made available on Playstation 4 and Xbox One, along with Windows PC.

“We were delighted by the reception that the highly-acclaimed F1 2017 game received, and are extremely excited to be able to further build on such a strong starting point with F1 2018” said Paul Jeal, F1 Franchise Director at Codemasters.

“Over the past few years we have engaged heavily with our fan-base to understand what is important to them, and we cannot wait to unveil more details on features we know our fans will love.

“Career mode has been further expanded to immerse players even deeper into the world of F1 than before, with the return of a highly requested feature back into the franchise.

“We are also adding more classic cars, again listening to our fans as to which of the historical F1 cars they would most like to virtually drive next.

“Outside of those headline additions there are many other great enhancements to be revealed before the game launches.”

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Sergio Perez 'lucky' to reach Spanish GP finish after debris hit

Sergio Perez says he felt fortunate to reach the finish of the Spanish Grand Prix after he struck debris from Max Verstappen’s Red Bull.

Verstappen tagged Lance Stroll’s Williams at the post-Virtual Safety Car restart and sustained front-wing endplate damage, with the loose part detaching at the exit of the final corner.

Several drivers avoided the piece of debris but the unsighted Perez was less fortunate, though was able to reach the finish, climbing up to ninth as a result of pitting for fresh tyres during the VSC phase.

“It was a tough race but to score two points in these conditions is not a bad result and a decent reward after a difficult race,” said Perez.

“I made a good start but I had to go wide to avoid the accident with [Romain] Grosjean and I lost a lot of positions.

“It really complicated everything for me because it put me behind a lot of other cars.

“After that we made the right strategy calls, especially pitting under VSC, but then I hit debris from Verstappen’s car and I picked up some damage.

“I was struggling with a lot of vibrations and I was lucky to make it to the end. It’s good to come home with some points after starting so far back.”

Esteban Ocon was left downbeat after suffering a suspected oil pressure problem that led to his retirement for a second successive race.

“We were racing well and looking good for some points,” said Ocon.

“Then things went wrong at my pit stop when there was a problem changing the right rear wheel.

“We lost about 20 seconds and it put us to the back of the pack. A few laps later I lost power and had to park the car.”